


너는 최고야 ! [ You Are The Best ! ]

by uulhada



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 11:40:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20191687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uulhada/pseuds/uulhada
Summary: The loss of a young girl's memory brought her to be taken from an already broken and damaged family. Though, with her adoptive grandparents, she's finally given a chance at a happy life.Park Mio's transfer to Raimon brings her to the very energetic captain of the soccer team, Endou Mamoru. Absolutely ecstatic with the chance to make friends, she's more than glad joining the soccer team.





	1. 01.

It's five in the morning.

It'd been ten hours since the accident, neither of them had left the hospital since then. Visiting hours were over, so they waited out in the hall, until they were kicked into the lobby. So they waited there instead. For any sort of good news, the good news that refused to come as they drank endless cans of Pepsi Cola. Each hour another was tossed into the nearby trash bin, their time spent in the hospital would be measured by them. Until the janitor had come by.

"Aissh, stop drinking those things, you two look like alcoholics." Quite like herself, maybe? This is Hyunah, a woman just a little over middle aged. She meant to be scolding the two teens, but ended up making herself upset instead. She'd only gotten there two hours earlier, due to working night shift. Seeing her son there came as a surprise, but, it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to run out of the house at night. Especially with his best friend.

"There's nothing else to do. . ." Jin mumbled under his breath, fiddling with the Nintendo system in his hands. "Battery is dying. Yo, did you bring a charger?" His green hues darted over to the male beside him. The other just shook his head, tearing a sigh from Jin's lips. "What the hell are they even doing up there!?"

"Don't yell so loud!" Even still, Hyunah's voice was at the same level. She ignored the other people staring and pressed a hand against her forehead. "Hayate, did they not let you see your mother? Is she going through surgery too?"

"Uhm- no, ahjummah*." The white haired male lifted his head for a moment, before staring back at the tile floor under his sneakers. "They said she didn't want to see anyone." There was a lot of hair that covered his eyes, and glasses covered even more. He'd always find ways to cover his face, Hayate quite liked his glasses for that reason.

"I- what-!?" Hyunah breathed out, "you've got to be kidding me. That woman is something else, her own son. . ." Pissed off at just the thought, she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. At least the couches were comfortable. Hayate and Jin exchanged a glance before looking back at Hyunah.

"Mom don't look so scary." Jin grimaced.

"What about Mio? Did they finish the surgery? She had to get surgery right?" The raven haired woman suddenly jolted straight. "Did you at least get to see her?"

". . . No." Hayate's response destroyed the mood all over again immediately. "They said it was a really bad head injury, it'll take a long time to heal."

"You must have been so scared." Hyunah reached a hand out, rubbing his shoulder.

"It's alright." He managed a tight smile, but it was obviously half hearted.

"I'm sure she'll be alright, don't worry too much. You're a good older brother, don't listen to anything your mother says." The woman retracted her hand, sighing to herself. The amount of stress that Sayuri had put on the family was insane. Hyunah herself wasn't enough to take care of everyone, but she did what she could. Taking the kids for ice cream, cheering them on, and giving them pocket money. While their actual mother drank, and drank, and drank, and drank, and drank. . . And cried.

"Jin. You did the right thing, don't feel bad for running out." Hyunah pulled a soft smile. As soon as Jin heard about the accident, he left home. He ran all the way downtown to the hospital and stayed with Hayate. She knew her son was a good kid, no matter the trouble he got in at school. He was always honest, he never lied to her, he did whatever he could to help Hayate and happily picked up the little girl from school whenever he was asked. He never said an ill word about anyone, his heart was like gold.

"Thanks." The male chirped.

"I'll go buy you two something to eat, stay here okay? If anything happens just call." Hyunah quickly stood up and waved them off, before rushing outside, leaving the two kids behind.

Hayate buried his face in his hands.

"Stop that." Jin frowned.

"Stop what?"

"Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault, not even close."

"I know but--!" Hayate grit his teeth. "I should have trusted her. Why would she take Mio out in the middle of the night for ice cream? She doesn't do that?!" The guilt pounded at his chest, but he was too occupied with homework to worry enough. He was too occupied to worry about his little sister, every time.

"Give it a rest, man! I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry it happened, I know it's hard for you. It's /always/ been hard for you! You don't have to make it any harder for yourself. Everything's gonna be fine, just- do better next time."

Do better next time, huh? There is no 'next time'.

[ *ahjummah ; this is a korean term for middle aged woman. like ma'am. ]


	2. 02.

"We'd have put her in an orphanage but it seems she's too. . . Damaged for that." The doctor sighed, tapping his pen against the clipboard in his hand. Currently he was having a conversation with the irresponsible mother of a hospitalized child. The little one seemed to have lost her memory, she was terrified to the point she'd burst into tears if anyone approached her.  
  
Sayuri went near her daughter, but she screamed. She screamed and she cried, and the begged her to stay away. No one really thought Sayuri had the right to feel hurt, but she was definitely some type of heartbroken. Her own daughter didn't even recognize her. Her son said she deserved it. Now both of her kids were a lost cause.  
  
Park Mio was taken from the family, they were clearly not capable of taking care of her. Sayuri was angry at the moment, and signed the document to give her up without a second thought. Now she regretted it with every fiber in her being, and her son would never let her outlive it; "you gave up on your only daughter. you're a pathetic excuse for a parent." He was such a cold, cold teenager. There was always some sort of hate in his eyes whenever they looked at one another.  
  
There was an orphanage called the Sun Garden that would have been happy to take the girl, but given her mental state, they decided to keep her hospitalized. Instead the orphanage put her up for adoption and left her in the hospital to try and recover. If things looked up, then she'd join the orphanage with the other kids, or be adopted beforehand.  
  
An old couple took interest in her. She was a little Korean girl that shared the same common last name as them. They didn't mind she wasn't. . . Normal. After some thought, they decided to visit her in the hospital one day.  
  
"Here, I have a gift for you sweetie." A woman with black hair sat down on the chair beside the little girl's bed. Park Kimsun, or Kim for short. She handed over a plush toy. It was a soft yellow Pikachu. The little girl's eyes glittered, Kim was the only one she hadn't blatantly rejected asides from the doctors and nurses she saw every day. Mio hesitantly reached her hands out and took hold of the toy. She hugged onto it.  
  
". . . Thank you very much." She muttered quietly, looking up at Kim. Her eyes. Her eyes were so sad, so empty. Unlike any other child she'd seem before, that was brimming with excitement. That was when Kim made her decision, she wanted to adopt this girl.  
  
Kim never had a daughter and it seems this little one had never had a proper mother. That was a good enough reason, they'd fill the void in one another's hearts. Kim was already in her late fifties, so she didn't mind being referred to as 'hal-meoni', for grandmother. Besides, she wanted to be as honest as possible with Mio. No, she wasn't going to pretend to be her birth mother, she'd tell her as soon as possible that was not the case. Mio was well aware she was adopted, but it didn't make her cry.  
  
"This is your room!" Kim chirped happily, pushing open the bedroom door. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. The bed was in the middle, to the left was a white desk and pink chair, as well as a glass door out to the balcony. To the right were some bookshelves, a closet and dresser. Most of the room was in pink, and the bed looked like it belonged to a real young princess. On top of the pillows were more stuffed toys.  
  
Mio quietly stepped inside, looking around. Her fingers ran across the pink bed sheets, and she held onto one of the smaller pillows. It was really soft, so she started to cry. Tightly hugging onto the pillow, she sobbed for a while before turning to Kim and Jae. Then she bowed her head.  
  
"Do you like it, Miyah?" Kim stepped over to her, kneeling down to her height. She smiled, patting the little girl's white hair. Mio nodded, wiping at her eyes frantically. "I'm glad. . . We'll get lots more stuff so you can decorate your room just the way you want, okay?"  
  
There were a lot of times Mio didn't sleep well, so she knocked on Kim and Jae's door. Instead of letting her sleep in their room, they all went over to her room to sleep. The bed was big enough for the three of them anyway, so they put her in the middle. Jae would tell her one of the countless amounts of Korean folktales he knew until she and his wife fell asleep.   
  
At one point, Mio had met one of the neighbor's dogs. It seemed to like her a lot, so Kim wanted to adopt a dog as well. They'd gotten a Pomeranian as a baby and named him Cho. He was Mio's first dog and she loved him endlessly.  
  
Over time, they really did become a happy family.  
  
Mio didn't really have any friends, so Kim and Jae had hoped she'd make some when she went to her knew school. Raimon was big, she was bound to end up talking to some people, even if it'd be scary. They were well aware of how skittish she was, she'd jump and flinch a lot at the simplest things.  
  
"Introduce yourself."  
  
"O-oh. . . Uhm, my name is Park Mio. I-I hope we can get along." She bowed her head a little too deeply.   
  
Everyone was staring.  
  
Everyone was staring.  
  
"You'll sit in front of Kazemaru. Kazemaru raise your hand please." The teacher called out.  
  
The teal haired boy hesitated, but ended up raising his hand. They locked eyes for a moment, but she immediately looked away.


	3. 03.

"How is your new school? Did you make any friends?" Quietly, the dark haired woman stepped into her granddaughter's room. Her brown eyes softened at the sight of the young girl laying in bed with her dog. Looks like this was enough of an answer to her question, but Kim didn't want to leave things at that. She closed the door beside herself and sat on the edge of Park's canopy bed.

"I know it's scary. . . But you'll meet some nice friends soon, I promise." Kim smiled softly, patting the girl's head. Park blinked her eyes before sitting up, a small frown marring her features.

"It's so big and there's so many kids. . ." Park mumbled, shifting closer to the woman to rest her head on her shoulder. Cho had even woken up to join the two as well, snuggling up beside Park again. The white haired girl sighed, running her fingers through his fluffy white fur. "And there's no other girls that wear the tie. . . ! I should have picked the ribbon!"

"But you really liked the tie, why change your mind now?" Kim chuckled, wrapping an arm around the little one. "Don't let others scare you into being someone else. . . How about this, promise me that you'll join a club!"

"What--?" Park furrowed her brows. "No, I don't want to. . ."

"Pick a small one, something you like!" The raven haired woman chirped. "Like art club, or book club or k-drama club."

"Hal-eomni. . ." The young girl frowned, sinking in her place. K-drama club? That probably didn't even exist. Though, the bright look in her grandmother's eyes gave her motivation. So, she made a promise. She'd join a club and make some friends, it couldn't be that hard right?

The next day, early in the morning; Park grabbed her things and slipped on her shoes. "I'm going to school! Bye Cho!" She waved off her grandparents and gave Cho a scratch behind his ear before rushing out. Locking the door behind herself, she skipped down the front porch steps and carried onto the sidewalk. A few feet behind her was another student heading to Raimon, it looked like they lived on the same street. He'd seen her leave the house and everything, perfectly remembering her face from the other day.

"Hey. . . !" The tealette called out to her. She'd looked over her shoulder and watched him catch up, completely oblivious as of to who he was. Though, she recognized his uniform and didn't react badly. "You're a new student, right?" He had a rather gently voice, and charming features. Long teal hair that framed his face perfectly despite covering half of it. His eyes were a soft hazel, matching his warm smile. The fact that he was good looking was even more unsettling.

"U-uhm, yes, that's right." Park muttered, trying to avoid eye contact but not seem rude at the same time. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I see," He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck. "We're in the same class."

"O-oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I must have forgotten--" embarrassed, she bowed her head in apology.

"No, that's alright!" The tealette waved a hand in dismissal. "I didn't get to introduce myself anyways. . ." With that, he offered a hand. "Kazemaru Ichirouta."

"It's nice to meet you. . ." With a small, forced smile, Park shook his hand with both of her own. She had such small hands in comparison, and the gesture was painfully cute. "My name is Park Mio."

As kind as this boy was, Park silently wished he'd just go away.

So after classes, she'd get up and leave immediately. He never got the chance to speak with her, it was almost like she was purposefully avoiding him. Kazemaru would see her every day after classes walking home while he was with the track team. Running his laps, he'd watch her on school grounds until she disappeared. Maybe she just didn't like him. . .

One day he'd caught her talking to another boy and a girl. Kazemaru came to a complete halt, frowning to himself. It was that loud brown haired kid that was running around lately looking for members, apparently his soccer club was a bust and he needed a few more players to make an actual team. So far he'd gotten no one, but he still ran around with that sign.

If Park had let Kazemaru get closer to her, then he'd have suggested she joined the track team. Now that other kid seemed to have coaxed her away. For some reason she was smiling at them, but she wouldn't genuinely smile at him. She was friendly, and even laughed at one of that boy's jokes. 

It wasn't fair.


	4. 04.

Eyes brimming with excitement, the white haired girl scampered on home. Making her way into the house, she'd happily slipped off her shoes and picked up the equally excited Pomeranian at her feet.  
  
The girl coming home with a smile on her face had come as a shock to Kim in the kitchen. The raven haired woman was merely making dinner, as her husband watched television in the living room. After transferring schools, Park had been terribly gloomy. She'd come home, say hello and go straight up to her room to play video games or something.  
  
Though, for the first time and forever, she'd come home with a smile on her face. This had Kim overjoyed, probably more so than her granddaughter.  
  
"Aren't you just a bundle of sunshine!" Kim chirped, gesturing the young girl to come. Park scampered over to the kitchen with Cho in her arms. There was a plate of dim sum on the counter, this would be her after school snack. So - Park sat up on one of the stools, setting Cho on her lap.  
  
"Ah-! Ah! This is for me, you don't get any." Park huffed as Cho continued sniffing her food. ". . . Halmeoni! I know which club I'm gonna join!"  
  
Kim blinked her eyes, before clapping her hands together. "Really? That's wonderful Mi-yah!" Kim cheered, "which club have you decided on?"  
  
To be honest, she expected the girl to go for something more quiet like herself. She was a very gentle young girl, and suited an art club, book club, or even a music club. So the little one's next statement was definitely out of the ordinary. In fact, she was beyond mortified   
  
"The soccer club!"

  
  
As usual, as soon as class was over, Park grabbed her things and jet out of the classroom. This never went unnoticed by the teal haired boy that sat behind her. She'd transferred three days ago, and so far didn't say a word to anyone in the class, unfortunately this was including himself.  
  
With heart in her hands, the female scampered down the hall to the office, but her excited expression immediately fell after seeing all the commotion. Teachers and secretaries were hustling back and forth with endless amounts of documents and such to take care of. Quietly, the girl stepped up to the front desk and waited for someone to get to her. It was quite a while after a secretary noticed she was standing there.  
  
"Can I help you?" The man called out.  
  
"Huh-? O-oh, uhm. . ." Park jumped, quickly turning to the man seated in an office chair. "I'd like to sign up for a club."  
  
"Oh, sure I can help you, come over here." She rolled over to her desktop computer. Park did as told and padded close. "Which club?"  
  
". . . The soccer club." She muttered. Peering at his desk, there was a nameplate with 'Fuyukai' written on it.  
  
The secretary raised a brow. "There's no soccer club for for girls, though." He said with an exaggerated sigh.  
  
"B-but." Park blinked her eyes in confusion, suddenly starting to panic. "There was a student who was asking people to join his club, I thought-"  
  
"Oh." Fuyukai rolled his eyes, this story again? "That Endou Mamoru." He turned back to his computer, disregarding the white haired girl. "There aren't even enough members in his club to make a proper team, but he wants to fight Teikoku." At this point he was just babbling to himself. "Sorry girl, but you can only be able to join as a manager. Girls are not allowed on the male's team."  
  
"I see. . . Thank you." She wouldn't bother him any further, he'd already seemed rather annoyed. Dejected, Park gripped the strap of her shoulder bag and left the office. It was such a silly thing to be so upset over, but with both not being able to help that student, and how the secretary chastised her - she was absolutely devastated. That being said, the white haired girl scampered home on the same route, trying not to burst into tears.  
  
While running his usual laps, the teal haired boy caught sight of her retreating form. Normally it was pretty lucky of him to see her at all, so unknown to even himself, he was always looking forward to those three seconds of seeing her leave the school. This time though, wasn't as nice. She didn't look very happy, and was gone before he even realized. As much as he wanted to chase after her, it'd probably be a bad idea.  
  
After stepping into the comfort of her home, Park took off her shoes and went upstairs without saying a word. Kim, Jae and Cho had all watched her, then exchanged glances with one another. What could have possibly happened? Especially after how joyous she was the other day.  
  
Out of childish frustration, Park threw her bag to the ground by her bed's feet, and threw herself into the sheets. So what if girls can't join the team? What was so bad about being a manager? Why was it so important that she got to play? It made no sense to even herself.  
  
"Can I come in?" There was a soft knock on her door, but Park didn't give an answer. With a small sigh, Kim opened the door and stepped into her room. "What's the matter? Did something happen at school?" She cooed, taking a seat at the edge of Park's bed.  
  
". . . There's no soccer team for girls." The white haired girl uttered.  
  
"Ah, so that's it." Kim breathed out. "And you were so excited about it too. I'm sorry, cookie."  
  
". . ." Park hadn't said anything for a while, before jolting up from her position. This quickly startled the woman beside her. "I don't know why it's bothering me so much. I don't even play soccer anymore." Her brown eyes stared at Kim, before slowly averting to the closed walk-in closet of her bedroom. Inside was obviously all her clothes, but also an old soccer ball from her biological family. It was white and pink, the ball belonged to her no doubt.  
  
When Park was adopted, all of her things were taken too. Most things Kim tossed away, but she kept a few items that the little one seemed quite attached to. The soccer ball being one of them.  
  
Kim vividly remembered what that heartless woman had said; _"take everything. I can't stand looking at any of it anymore. I can't stand looking at that god damn child!"_  
  
"I-it's fine sweetheart, you'll find another club. You know what-- forget what I said. You don't need to join one." Kim insisted, but to no avail.  
  
Park hopped off her bed, and padded over to her closet. Pulling the door open, she spied the old ball sitting on the ground under one of the shelves. Frantically, Kim followed after the girl and shut the closet door.  
  
"Do you have any homework? If not then come downstairs and watch some TV with Harabeoji." The dark haired woman persisted, placing her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. Park furrowed her brows before obliging.  
  


  
[ halmeoni is the korean term for grandmother, harabeoji is the term for grandfather. ]


	5. 05.

They watched her leave the house again, and once the door was closed, it was nothing but silence. She'd barely said anything in the morning, and the two adults were convinced it was just phase she'd get over soon, but it was still unsettling nonetheless. Of course they wanted the absolute best for the young girl, but Kim couldn't help but hope this 'soccer' thing wouldn't go any further than it already had.  
  
". . . Why is she upset?" Jae lifted his eyes to the dark haired woman in the kitchen. After she didn't say anything for a while, he decided to take a sip of his coffee.  
  
"That _stupid_ sport!" Kim suddenly piped up, the male immediately choked on his drink. Cho merely tilted his head as if to say 'what's wrong with him'?  
  
"Pardon?" Clearing his throat, Jae furrowed his brows. "Sport? What sport? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Soccer!" The woman threw her hands in the air frantically, she was so dramatic. "She wanted to join the soccer club and someone said there were no teams for girls, and she wasn't allowed to join the boys team Can you believe that?" As if she was in a rush, she started strutting to the living room where Jae and Cho were watching the television. Defeated, Kim threw herself down on the couch.  
  
"That's awful, she must be really upset-"  
  
"That's not what I mean!" Kim snapped, shutting up her husband in less than a second. "She used to play soccer with her brothers, god forbid she picks up that ball one day and somehow remembers everything." So she was concerned about other things, not Mio's disappointment in not being able to join a soccer club, but the odds of her regaining her memory. Now, the doctors had went to very extensive lengths to try and get her to remember, but the little girl couldn't think of a thing. No matter what or who she looked at, six years of her life were wiped clean from her brain.  
  
But that was the good part. At least Kim thought so.  
  
". . . I don't think that'll happen." Jae trailed off, eyes slowly averting to the plasma screen. It was a Korean drama, the family always enjoyed watching these together.  
  
"I-" Kim was just about to start another rant when the house phone had started ringing. With a small sigh, she quickly stood up and ran over to grab it. Without looking at the caller ID, she answered the call and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"  
  
The familiar voice from the other line almost made her want to scream.  
  
  
  
After moving to Inazuma Town, Park hadn't really gotten time to explore the area. It was normally just going to the market with her grandmother, or walking Cho around the park - then just going straight home. After school, she normally took only one route to get home, but after a bit of scampering around, she found a quicker method. It passed by the river side, with a lovely view of the Inazuma bridge. There was surprisingly a soccer pitch by the water, and it was actually being used at the time.  
  
A bunch of little kids were playing, while an older boy stood at the goal. After peering a little closer, Park quickly recognized him to be Endou - the loudmouth that approached her the other day.  
  
"Hi!" A female voice called out to the white haired girl who slightly jumped. It was the soccer team's manager, the really kind girl that followed loudmouth around. With a small smile, Park waved, but then she gestured her to come over. Reluctantly, she did scurry over to the other girl.  
  
"Hello." Park politely dipped her head.  
  
"Do you live down this way as well?" The manager asked, and Park quickly nodded. It wasn't long after that the brunette keeper noticed Kino had company and rushed over to say hi as well.  
  
"Oh! You're the person from before!" He piped up. "I uh- what was your name again?" Sheepishly, he rubbed at the back of his neck with a breathy laugh.  
  
"It's Park. Park Mio." Awkwardly, she responded with furrowed brows. They didn't actually start on a first name basis last time, in fact they only spoke for about ten seconds before he ran off with his wooden sign. 'Park' was considered a strange name in Japan, so she wouldn't be surprised if he asked about it or made a strange face - which he did neither.  
  
"I'm Endou Mamoru!" With a bright grin, he reached out a hand. "Nice to meet you!"  
  
With that, Park shook his hand while the manager introduced herself as Kino Aki. It was only thanks to her that the white haired girl wasn't a nervous wreck - Kino was a very kind girl.  
  
"Hey, if you're not busy, do you wanna join us?" With glittering eyes, Endou lifted the soccer ball in his hands. "Let's play soccer!"  
  
It was two middle school students against the elementary kids, basically eleven against two. Endou was pretty used to playing with the little ones, but Park was terrified she'd accidentally step on one of them. It'd been years since she properly played soccer, so she'd probably end up getting her ass whipped by a bunch of near toddlers.  
  
After Endou gave the cue, the little forwards were charging ahead. Everything hit her like a bullet, the way to move her feet, where her eyes should look, and the right timing. While stealing the ball from a child was nothing to be very proud about, Park had still smiled to herself. It wasn't as hard as she thought it'd be.  
  
To be fair, sometimes she'd just pass the ball to one of the kids and let them shoot - or else Endou would be standing there and not doing much. At one point she'd attempted to make a shot as well even if they were on the same team. He caught it, but pulled a cheeky grin and complimented her well. This went on for almost an hour until everyone was dead tired, sitting in the grass trying to catch their breath. . .  
  
"So why don't you join the soccer team? You looked like you were having lots of fun." Kino chirped, tilting her head.  
  
"Oh I-. . . I tried, but one of the teachers said I wasn't allowed, it's an all boys team after all." Park flattened the top of her hair, managing a sad smile. "I'm sorry."  
  
The three sat in silence for a while as Endou threw himself back into the grass, arms behind his head. "Who cares? I don't see a problem with a girl on the team." He mumbled.  
  
"Endou, it's the school rules." Kino had to remind him, but he only frowned.  
  
"Well! The art club has boys _and_ girls, why can't the soccer club!" The brunette jolted up into a sitting position. "I'll talk to the principal, I'm sure it won't be a big deal! So you'll join, right?" With eyes of hope, he stared at Park.  
  
"In that case. . ." She smiled. "I'd love to."  
  
The three had walked home afterwards, but at one point Kino and Endou took a different turn. The white haired girl scampered home the rest of the way, immediately getting mobbed by her dog as soon as she stepped inside. Usually her grandmother was in the kitchen around this time making dinner, but she wasn't there. Confused, Park looked over at her grandfather.  
  
"Where's Halmeoni?" She asked, holding the fluffy white pom in her arms.  
  
"She went to meet someone, she'll be home soon." Jae responded.  
  
". . . Okay. I'll go to my room and finish my homework." Without bothering to question him, she scurried up the staircase with Cho.  
  
  
  
Kim stared at the envelope being pushed towards her over the table, then lifted to the blonde haired woman in front of her.  
  
"What's this?" She hesitantly took the envelope and opened the front flap, her lips parting at it's contents.  
  
"Two thousand dollars." The younger lady stated with such nonchalance. "Send her to piano classes or private school, buy her clothes or whatever."  
  
"I don't want your money." Kim practically hissed, tossing the envelope back towards it's owner. "I came to tell you to stop calling, leave us alone. I don't care who you think you are, but you're _not_ that little girl's mother anymore."


	6. 06.

"It's nice to meet you, I hope we can get along!"  
  
. . . There was a very long pause of silence, asides from someone slowly - but loudly crunching on a potato crisp. The club room had never been this quiet since the day it was built, and the white haired girl was sweating profusely. Her suddenly clammy palms fret with the end of her brown necktie. This was terrible, she'd only been so excited because of Endou and Kino's excitement. They made it seem like the rest of the soccer team was just like themselves.  
  
". . . A new manager?" One of the boys spoke up, his hair was brown and rather neat with matching eyes. He was very uninterested, if anything, he was paying more attention to the magazine in his hands than anything else.  
  
"No. . . !" Endou huffed, propping his gloved hands up on his hips. "She'll play with us! Defender, right?" The brunette turned to the female who blinked her eyes, then nodded nervously.  
  
"We're desperate for members, the least you could all do is say hello." Kino frowned, sometimes these boys were a pain in the neck. With their important match against Teikoku coming up, Kino and Endou were ecstatic to have a new member on board, no matter her gender. Though, they'd seen her play the other day, and it wasn't like she was horrendous at the game or anything.  
  
"Give it up Endou, I didn't think you were that desperate." Another one of the members sighed, his skin was rather tan, and a rather strange pink buzzcut. With every word that left his mouth, Park sunk in her place. Really, she'd rather be shot in the head right now than have to listen to another insult. As upset as Park was, she probably was not as upset as Endou was getting.  
  
"Don't you guys even want to go to the Football Frontier!? We have the chance and you're throwing it away, this is our dream!" The keeper piped up, slamming a hand against the wall. It was a poster, one of the only decorations in this sad, sad club room. No one had said anything, but it was obvious they were guilty. Their poor captain and manager had been working so hard, and even when they'd found a new member, they weren't recognized. Defeated, Endou had just left the club room.  
  
". . . Will he be alright?" Park lowered her voice, tapping Kino on the shoulder. The short haired girl managed an apologetic smile and nodded. She quickly coaxed Park out of the room so they could get a chance to breathe properly.  
  
"I'm sorry, you didn't get a very nice welcome." She sighed, linking her hands behind her back.  
  
"That's alright, please don't apologize." Park shook her head, a small simper marring her features.  
  
"We weren't able to borrow a field, so we might not have practice. I'll let you know if we go back to the riverside, if you'd like to join us again" Kino chirped, beaming sweetly.  
  
"I'll look forward to it, thank you!" The white haired girl waved Kino off before heading back to class. While the rest of them team wasn't exactly thrilled about her addition, she was still grateful for Kino and Endou's hospitality. Just those two were enough to make joining the team worth it. Well, the smile on her face had only lasted until she stepped back into her class. The aquamarine haired male was already present - and she was not very fond of him. It wasn't that she just flat out disliked him, he was just too. . . Friendly. The girl didn't mind Endou, but this boy was different for some reason, and Park was constantly a nervous wreck.  
  
He was simply staring out of the window, so as quietly as possible, Park set her bag down and took a seat. . .  
  
"Have you joined a club yet?"  
  
She froze in her place, before slowly looking over her shoulder. He wasn't even looking at her, so she took that as permission to not look at him either.  
  
"If you're into track the-"  
  
"Thank you for the offer, but I've joined one already." Park responded softly, opening her notebook to a blank page.  
  
Kazemaru blinked his eyes, just barely straightening up; "oh, I see." He muttered, dejected. His hazel eyes trailed back to the window.  
  
After school, the white haired girl scampered around in search for Kino. They'd both headed over to the riverside, but it was void of any Endous. She'd then suggested going to the Inazuma Tower, and right she was, Endou was there.  
  
"Oh- hey! You both came!" The brunette chirped, he seemed to be training. . . With a tire? Park furrowed her brows, his bag and a rather old notebook were on a nearby bench that overlooked the town, this place was the perfect spot for watching the sunset. He seemed to have set up a tire with a rope, securing it to a strong tree. At first glance it looked like a swing, but when Endou pulled the damn thing and threw it - she stood corrected.  
  
"Is this a friend of yours?" She chimed with a small laugh. While she was only jesting, Endou had smiled brightly and nodded. His partner in training and maybe in crime, who knows.  
  
"I brought a soccer ball too, we can practice together!" The keeper piped up.  
  
"Oh, no no! That's okay, I'll just kick around a bit with Kino. My shoots won't be as strong as your tire." Laughing nervously, Park waved her hands in dismissal.  
  
"Besides, we haven't gotten a uniform for her yet." Kino lifted a finger. "E-eh? With me?" Her attention suddenly turned to Park who picked up the lonely ball.  
  
"Just a little." The white haired girl chimed. As Endou continued with his friend over there, the two girls had just made a few gentle passes. One of Kino's had went a little wide, but Park managed to stop it with a foot - then immediately winced as Endou hit the ground. She'd have gone over to help him up, but someone already did the honors; Kazemaru.  
  
"That's some pretty messy training," the tealette jested, pulling Endou up to his feet. Kazemaru nonchalantly looked over to Kino and Park. "Oh, hey." Strange seeing her here. Awkwardly, she just waved back with a small smile.  
  
". . . Y-you two know each other?" Endou lifted his brows in curiosity. Given Park had just transferred, she was completely unaware that Kazemaru Ichirouta was pretty popular. None other than Raimon's track star, as fast as the wind, and as handsome as the devil.  
  
"We're in the same class." Kazemaru responded easily. ". . . What's with the tires."  
  
"Special training! From my granddad's notebook." Endou grinned brightly. "Park-chan! Can you grab it for me?"  
  
"Eh? Oh- sure!" She scampered over to the bench and neatly set the soccer ball down, then picked up the frail composition book, bringing it over to the two boys. Endou gave her a small thanks before opening it to a particular page for her and Kazemaru to see. Both of them had squinted, it looked like some sort of hieroglyphics.  
  
"Can you actually read this?" Kazemaru breathed out, he sure couldn't.  
  
"Yup! My Grandpa wrote it, before he passed away. He used to be Raimon's soccer coach a long time ago!" His hands propped on his hips, Endou happily explained. "We're fighting Teikoku next, and they're one of the strongest soccer teams out there. So, I'll master all the techniques and we'll beat them! Right?" He turned to Park, who eagerly nodded.  
  
Kazemaru shoved his hands into his pockets, the two seemed so excited. He'd been doing athletics for as long as he could remember, and well, that was mostly an individual sport. There wasn't much teamwork in there, even in relay. Maybe he was a little jealous, they both enjoyed something in common - and he didn't. It hadn't even been that long, and they'd already become such good friends. Sure he had made friends on the track team, but they were mostly just in respect or admiration for him. He'd always been the type of person to think over all his decisions, but this one was purely instinctive.  
  
He reached out a hand to Endou.  
  
". . . Huh? What's up?" The brunette asked with a small pout.  
  
"I'll join you. You and that spirit of yours." Kazemaru gave him a determined smile.  
  
"Really-!?" Endou had immediately brightened up, "thank you! Kazemaru!" He quickly shook the other male's hand.  
  
"Let's do our best." The tealette turned to Park, reaching his hand out yet again. They'd already exchanged names, but even still, Park shook his hand.  
  
He was sure he'd find a reason behind his actions soon enough.


	7. 07.

"*Na jibiya."

Normally the television would be on, or some music would be playing in the background. Though when Park stepped into her house, there wasn't any sound. Cho had hopped off the couch and come by her feet to greet her, but that was it. Curiously, after slipping off her shoes, the white haired girl stepped into the living room.

Both of her grandparents lifted their gaze to her, it looked like they were discussing something. For a while, no one had said anything.

". . . Is something wrong?" Park muttered, furrowing her brows. It wasn't like either of them to be so quiet and secretive.

"You're late, where were you?" Kim asked, hardly scolding the young girl. She seemed more concerned and worried than anything.

"I was playing with my friends, I sent you a text message." The female responded quietly. Kim had blinked her eyes, and looked around for her smartphone. Once grabbing the device, she realized the little girl was right. She did send a text, and Kim hadn't answered. It was only natural she wouldn't be upset with Park, and would allow her to play with her friends. The girl guessed she was busy and couldn't reply, that was all.

"I see. . ." Kim breathed out, passing a short glance to Jae. "Go up to you room, I'll come by in a moment, okay?"

"Okay." Park wouldn't refuse or question this, instead she'd just padded up the stairs with Cho as company. She changed out of her uniform into something more comfortable. A white t-shirt with a milk box on it, along with a baby pink skirt. The weather was nice and warm, no reason to wear leggings. While waiting for her grandmother, she started on homework - and suddenly received a text on her phone.

[ Endou: tomorrow !!! everyone be ready !!! ]

She'd recently been added to the soccer club's group chat, along with Kazemaru.

[ Kino: do your homework ! ]  
[ Endou: what was the homework ]  
[ Endou: kazemaru what was the homework ]  
[ Kazemaru: . . . we are not in the same class ]

"You're doing your homework?" There was a soft knock on the bedroom door. Park looked over her shoulder at the dark haired woman and nodded. Kim let herself inside, and sat on the edge of the bed. "There's something I want to give to you."

"What is it?" The turned her desk chair to properly face her grandmother. Cho had been sitting on her lap. Kim hesitated, before handing over a soft pink envelope to the young girl. Park took hold of it in her fingers. After Kim hadn't said anything else, Park decided to open the flap, and pull out what was inside. Her eyes slightly widened.

"This is so much- no, no I can't take this. Please." The white haired girl immediately put back all the notes into the envelope and attempted to hand it over to Kim. The raven haired woman shook her head.

"It's two thousand dollars."

"Why-!?" Park mewled. Ever since she had been apart of this family, she'd been showered in nothing but love. For years she was convinced that none of this she deserved, every Friday Kim and Jae took her out for ice cream - she didn't deserve. The tens of plush toys on her bed, she didn't deserve. This wonderful dog sitting in her lap, she did not deserve.

Two thousand dollars, made her feel nothing but guilt. Guilt for being such a burden to these generous people. It was enough to almost make her burst out into tears.

"It's not from me." Kim admitted duly. This quickly made the white haired girl stop in her tracks and look down at the envelope. There was a name written on it.

". . . Who is Sayuri?" Park insisted quietly, lifting her pink-brown eyes back up to her grandmother. Kim had stared in her lap, before closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. Her hands were trembling, so she grabbed onto the left hand with her right.

"Your real mother." She muttered.

As much as Park wanted to throw the envelope out the window, she knew that was childish and bratty. So instead, she pulled out a drawer in her desk, and placed the envelope inside. This lifted a huge weight off Kim's shoulders, thank goodness she took the money.

"*Halmeoni, I ended up getting to join the soccer club." The young girl suddenly stated.

"Y-you did?" Kim lifted her head immediately, her brown eyes wavering. "I see. That's good-"

"You don't want me to play soccer, isn't that right?"

". . . That's right." Kim had no reason to lie.

"Why not?" Park carefully stroked at Cho's fluffy white fur. "What actually happened before I ended up here?"

She already knew that her memory was wiped clean, and she was adopted - but that was all. It was a car crash, and her mother caused it.

"You were in a bad family, that's all." Kim slowly nodded to herself. "A bad mother, a bad father, and bad siblings who you'd play soccer with. I don't want you to keep playing, because you might remember all of this." The dark haired woman gripped the fabric of her dress. "I don't want to lose my little girl."

Park sunk in her place, feeling helpless. Quietly standing up, she set Cho back onto the chair and padded over to her grandmother. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around the quavering woman.

"No matter what happens, I want to stay with you."

This is her home.

"Oh, you're here! We have a surprise for you two!" As soon as Endou's eyes caught sight of Kazemaru and Park stepping into the club room, he brightened up. Those two were in the same class, and upon Kazemaru's request, Park didn't mind walking alongside him to practice.

"What do you think?" Kino chirped, presenting two sets of Raimon uniforms to them. Number 2 for Kazemaru, and Number 4 for Park. The white haired girl happily took hold of the jersey and shorts.

"It's perfect, thank you so much!" Eyes glittering, Park bowed her head in thanks. It was a force of habit, she couldn't break out of it even if she tried.

"We've also got a new member, this is Matsuno!" Endou chirped, patting the back of the other male. He'd already been given a uniform, but for some reason still wore a hat with kitten-like ears at the top. Why judge?

"That's still only ten members." Someoka commented, but right after the team met Kageno.

Teikoku arrived, and brought hell with them. Raimon was covered in a sea of rolling clouds, things were already starting to feel grim. The sheer amount of doubt radiating from all the students could be enough to kill a man. Teikoku had every intention of intimidating the opposing team, and it worked for a few of the members. When Kabeyama had scurried off to apparently _use the bathroom_, they were joined by Megane.

Everything about the match was brutal and unfair. It took mere seconds for everyone to be knocked on the floor. You were given your ten seconds to do your best before rendered useless.

Kazemaru attempted to protect Endou at one point, but ended up hurting himself more than anything.

Another shot hit the palms of Endou's hands, as he tried to keep his heels grounded into the dirt. Before he could pass the white marked line, a foot kicked the side of the ball, clearing it off the field. The score was already 10-0 in Teikoku's favor, yet for some reason the white haired girl still wanted to stand up. It was one goal, just one goal they'd stopped from being stolen from them. Sure it'd hurt her ankle almost as if she twisted it, but even still.

Even still.

Just these five seconds of hope on Raimon's side was enough. A player Endou had been harassing ever since he transferred to Raimon had joined their side. Gouenji Shuuya, the supposed flame striker. He'd given Raimon one point along with Endou's help.

Teikoku forfeit the match, and Gouenji left immediately after. In turn, the soccer team was still saved. Not only that, but they'd be going to the football frontier. This was originally Endou's dream, and now the others had shared it with him.

"You see that!" He pointed a gloved finger at the scoreboard. "That one point is the hope for Raimon!"

[ Glossary ; ]  
*Na jibiya - 나 집이야 - I'm home  
*Halmeoni - 할머니 - Grandmother


	8. 08.

"I hope I was allowed to do this--" Park muttered, inching away from the group.

"Of course you were, I gave you permission didn't I?" Kino had chirped, smiling softly at the other female.

Park had went the extra mile and brought snacks for the team, last night she'd made them with her grandmother. Kim wasn't sure she wanted her in the team, but, if it made her happy then why pull her out of it? She'd come to terms with it soon, Kim was mature enough to know this, she was a grown woman after all.

"Wow! You made sushi, thank you!" Endou brightened up, immediately taking hold of Park's hands and shaking them frantically.

"U-uhm, it's called _kimbap_, like, Korean sushi I guess?" The white haired girl let out a nervous, breathy laugh.

Her grandmother brought over the lunch box so she didn't have to haul it all the way by herself, Kim had immediately left afterwards. While munching on pieces here and there, Endou went over the new formation, given a bunch of members had shown up out of the blue.

The team was later informed of the school they'd be playing against next, and at that, Endou took everyone out to the riverside pitch to train. Of course, even after their supposedly _dumb luck_ win against Teikoku, they still couldn't manage to borrow a school field.

"Here!" Kurimatsu made a clean pass to Park, who brought up the ball a little, then passing to Matsuno. Before the ginger could even get much time to respond, Someoka made a slide tackle and stole the ball in seconds. Even Park flinched at the sudden impact. The striker continued on, knocking down both Kageno and Kazemaru in the process before attempting a shoot. Due to the possible agitation taking over, he completely missed, hitting the bar instead.

"Hey, are you alri-" The white haired defender skittered over to her classmate Kazemaru, immediately then being knocked at the back of her head with the stray ball. Kazemaru wasn't all that hurt, but now Park face planted into the dirt beside him, this was probably more concerning than the tiny scratch on his palm.

"P-Park-!?" The tealette quickly tried to help her up, taking her arm while she groaned. "Someoka! What's gotten into you!?" Kazemaru nearly snapped at the other male.

"It's her fault for getting in the way." He responded with a nasty glare.

"It's fine, I'm fine. . . !" Park sighed, rubbing at the back of her head. "He seems upset, maybe he didn't mean it." With a little of Kazemaru's help, she rose to her feet and brushed off the dirt on her jersey.

"You can't be serious." Kazemaru breathed out, hesitantly bringing a hand to her cheek.

". . . What are you doing?" The white haired girl froze in place, only looking up at him for a second before averting her eyes afterwards.

"You've got some dirt on your face," nonchalantly, he rubbed it away with his thumb. "There!" The tealette flashed her a quick smile. Though, this moment didn't last very long, as Kino called everyone over for a quick break. She introduced a first year student from the newspaper club, Otonashi Haruna. Apparently there were some avid rumors about the next team they'd be playing; Occult.

"They're just rumors, it's nothing to worry about!" Endou chirped, a forced smile on his features. Despite this, the others weren't feeling very spirited about things.

". . . Maybe we do need Gouenji-san." Shourin mumbled innocent, but was immediately scolded by Someoka. In some cases this would be considered jealousy, but, Park didn't think that was what would make him so infuriated.

"What's wrong with you guys!? We don't need that guy, I'm our forward, I'll get our goals!" Someoka spat, pointing a thumb at himself.

"We'll just have to make do with the members we have." Matsuno crossed his arms, a small simper evident on his face.

"But, captain. . ." Shishido quietly spoke up, slinking away from Someoka and closer to Endou. "If Gouenji-san didn't show up, we would be disbanded. Isn't that the same case this time, too?"

This, brought everyone even further down the rabbit hole.

"May I say something?" With an even tinier voice, Park poked herself into view, awkwardly holding an ice pack against the back of her head.

"Sure, go ahead." Endou didn't really see the need in having to ask in order to join the conversation.

"If it weren't for Endou, too, we could have lost the match." She perked up. "It was his God Hand that caught and threw the ball up to Gouenji, right?" With a small smile, Park lifted a finger.

Everyone had paused for a moment to picture what she was talking about.

"That's exactly right." Kino lightly knocked at her clipboard with the joint of her finger. "Teikoku won the Football Frontier last year anyways, we were against the strongest team there is." She continued. The girl was right, they were the best of the best, of course they'd be tougher than your average team. At least against Occult they had more than a decimal of a chance.

"Yes! I think we have a lovely team already." Park chirped, her smile clearly growing. "Please, won't you believe in us a little more?" Genuinely speaking from the heart, she lifted a hand to the left side of her chest.

"Everyone! Be more like Park!" Endou grinned.

". . . I'm not cooking, don't look at me." Handa lifted his hands in defense.

Kazemaru only let out a small chuckle, before returning his gaze to the white haired female. Pep talks in the track team were nothing like this, but it wasn't like they ever got into so much conflict either. It was an individual sport after all, and being so involved with others were starting to grow on the speedy male.

After some more training, everyone had parted ways and went on home, asides from Endou who was later joined by the track star. They'd chattered on about Gouenji and Someoka, as the brunette downed a bottle of water.

"I'm not going to try and talk Gouenji into the club anymore." Endou sheepishly admitted. He'd been harassing that poor boy for too long, and it had to come to a stop. While the blonde male was definitely a skilled player, Endou still respected him as a person, too.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Kazemaru asked, leaning over to get a better look at the keeper beside him.

"It's especially rude to the rest of the team, it's like I don't appreciate them for working so hard." Furrowing his brows, Endou responded. "I should apologize to Someoka, and Park. She was really excited to join, but all we've ever done is fight so far." A humorless laugh slipped passed his lips.

". . . I thought it was against the rules to let a girl join a boys team." Regrettably, Kazemaru mentioned what he'd been thinking about for a while.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it is." As casual as ever, the brunette responded.

"What!?"

"They already told her it was, but I let her join anyway. I don't see the big deal." To aid his argument even further, he started slipping his gloves back on. "Kazemaru, you've been a really big help so far. Thank you!" Endou turned to the tealette and smiled brightly.

"Y-yeah. . . No problem." Kazemaru breathed out.

Sitting at the island table in the kitchen while doing her homework, Park took another bite of her steam bun. After school snacks were especially the best.

She'd already washed up and changed into something more comfy as Kim made dinner. Jae was out in the backyard tending to the garden - this was his absolute favourite hobby despite growing up in the city, unlike Kim who was a girl from the farm. It seems like he caught onto her hobbies as a young woman and carried them on.

Cho was scampering around the house with his ball, sometimes he'd bring it to Park and she'd toss it for him.

"How was practice? You look like you had fun." Kim chirped, bringing a spoonful of soup to her mouth to taste test.

"I did!" Park chirped, scribbling on her handout sheets. Then, she suddenly remembered earlier events. Her expression suddenly turned sour as she brought a hand up to her cheek. . . He'd touched it.

". . . Why are you making that face?" Kim asked, lifting a brow.

"Halmeoni, were you uncomfortable with boys when you were my age?" Park lifted her eyes to the woman.

"Well, let's see." The dark haired lady hummed softly. "My mother had strictly told me not to mingle with boys, so I didn't. I definitely was uncomfortable with them though, and a lot of Japanese boys would tease me." She responded softly, looking back at those times were both nostalgic and difficult at the same time. "I was fifteen when I met Harabeoji, but he was very open, so I slowly became comfortable with him."

"I see. . ." Park mumbled, lowering her gaze back to her work.

"Did- did a boy try to talk to you improperly?" Suddenly concerned, Kim put everything down and inched closer to the young girl.

"Well, no, but. . . He sort of touched me." Using the worst possible phrasing, Park tried to explain.

"He what!?" Kim burst out in flames. "Do you know his name!? Where does he live!? What does he look like!?" Her voice got louder with every question, this even alerted Cho who stopped in his tracks - and let the ball fall from his mouth.

"H-Halmeoni-"

"That little shit! I'll hunt him down, I'll find his parents, I'll contact the school! Little brat thinks he can get away with this, does he know who I am!?" To make things even more terrifying, Kim grabbed a kitchen knife from the stand. Park nearly fell off her seat.

"Halmeoni! That's not what I meant!" Lifting her hands in defense, she tried to calm down the woman who was absolutely enraged.

"Oh. What did you mean then?" Placing down the knife, Kim flattened down her hair.

"There was some dirt on my face, and he wiped it away." The white haired girl lowered her head in her arms on the table in defeat. "I felt like crying for some reason."

"Aiiish," Kim let out a sigh of relief, thank goodness. There wouldn't be any blood on her hands today. "I'd say it was nice of him, but even still. . . It's nothing to be so upset about, though."

"He just. . . Kind of scares me." Park mumbled softly, earning a small frown from her grandmother. The woman brought a hand to stroke at Park's hair.

Maybe her upbringing had something to do with this, and while she had no memories of events, she had memories of certain feelings. Kim's eyes slightly narrowed. The sight of those two young teenage boys. The dark haired boy had glared at her, but the one with the red eyes. . .

_'It's all their fault. . .'_


	9. 09.

**[ Seven years ago. ]**

The hospital was chaotic for the past month. The amount of issues that this one particular little girl had caused was beyond belief. The young little girl that screamed bloody murder whenever anyone would go near her as long as they were not the couple that had planned to adopt her.

Park Mio was kept in a special room, given her very strange behavior, she needed to be watched at all times. When she was left alone, the doctors in the office would observe her through the camera systems. She'd merely hold onto that gifted plush and stare into the void, as if the world was slowing down to a stop.

The nurses has to be as gentle as possible, they had to take a ridiculous amount to calm down the young girl. She needed her medication, she needed to take blood tests, she needed to eat, she needed to be properly taken care of.

Her mother never came by, but her god mother had. Hyunah came by a few times, but not as many times as Hayate and Jin had. Every single time they went to the desk, they were refused entry. Nearly every time, Jin threw a fit. The kid was furious with not only the doctors and nurses, but Park's mother and the fact that all of this had to happen.

Hayate and Jin were both fourteen years old, and the two had grown up together since birth. This was because Sayuri and Hyunah were such close friends in childhood - the two were like twins. Though, Hyunah had the brains to know that children required responsibility. Both of the teen's father's were deadbeats. Sure they were rich, but they left the women immediately after their pregnancies.

Hayate's father came back though, but just once. . . That's when everything was starting to look up. Not because his father cared to come back - in fact the man had absolutely no interest in his son at all - but because Hayate had a little sister now. He vividly remembered the day she was born, he eagerly waited to be let inside the room. Curiously, as any eight year old would be, he'd reached a hand out to her - and she held onto it. She had soft brown eyes, unlike his sharp crimson hues. She was so much more precious than he was. . .

Again, the nurse had refused to let Hayate and Jin inside the room. Hyunah showed up about an hour later, and they were finally let in on Sayuri's decision to put Mio up for adoption.

To get rid of her.

It wasn't until Sayuri showed up to sign some documents that Jin let out all of his picked up aggression. This woman single handily built a whole family, and destroyed it all by herself.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? You gave up on your son and now your daughter!? What was the point of having kids in the first place!?" The raven immediately snapped as Sayuri glared holes into him.

"Jin, stop it, you're in a hospital." His mother reluctantly grabbed his shoulder, but he shifted away from her grip.

"Say something you idiot!" Jin desperately grabbed the shoulders of his brother, his closest friend, his partner in crime - shaking him frantically. Hayate hadn't responded in the slightest, he hadn't budged either. "She took everything from us, she took everything and you're letting her take the last of it!"

"You couldn't be more stupid." Sayuri hissed, "she doesn't remember my face, and she sure as hell doesn't remember yours. That's not even your sister, so give it a rest. You have nothing to do with thi-"

"Why don't you go to hell?" His tone dipped in poison, and his green eyes burned with acid. "We had no damn father, and basically no mother either. All that we had left was Mio - all that we had left was trying to give _her_ the life that we couldn't have." With every fiber in his being, Jin loathed Sayuri. He hated everything about her, he hated the thought of her, he hated the sight of her. "You almost killed her-!"

"It's already done, Jin! Let's just go!" Frustrated, Hyunah grabbed his wrist. The raven' eyes clouded with tears, but he'd rather die than cry and let anyone have power over him like that again.

"Let me see her!" Again, he pulled away. He was being so stubborn, even Hayate was getting annoyed with him. Jin had always been the emotional one out of the two. He cried more when they were kids, he was happier when with the little girl, and he was angrier with their mothers.

"Fine! Go see her, if that's what you want so bad." Sayuri inwardly groaned, running her fingers through her blonde hair.

Both Jin and Hayate came to halt before passing one another a quick glance. They were given permission from the nurse afterwards, and scampered down the hallway. The room marked with her name, where she'd been for a month all by herself.

After heaving a small breath, Jin lifted a hand to open the door - but it'd already opened from the inside. A woman was exiting, she was wearing a long pale yellow dress, along with a matching neckerchief. Her dark hair was parted in the middle, cleanly framing her face and brown eyes.

"A-are we allowed inside?" Jin blinked his green eyes in confusion.

". . . You must be her older brothers." Kim breathed out, frowning to herself.

"Are you adopting her?" Hayate asked in a rather unsettling, dull tone.

"Yes." Kim responded bluntly. "I honestly don't want to let you anywhere near this room, you and your mothers have done enough but. . . Five seconds and that's it."

As much as Jin wanted to snap at her, it'd be a very bad move. Five seconds was a stupid little amount of time, but it'll have to make do. Both teens nodded, before slowly entering the room.

Kim expected Mio to immediately lose her nerve and start sobbing. The white haired girl had lifted her head, her brown eyes fixated on both boys by the entrance. They felt their heart drop.

"Mio. . ." Jin felt utterly helpless. His gritting teeth and shaking hands hadn't helped either. "I'm so sorry."

"Out, now." Kim's sudden command was wordlessly obeyed. While the two would love to stay longer, and maybe trying to test her memory again - Jin would probably end up as a sobbing mess. Boys cry, what can you do about it. The kid was a wreck.

The adoption went through, and all information was sealed. Kim made sure that no one from Mio's original family knew a single thing about where she went. They'd moved to the small Inazuma Town, a place not exactly desolate, but definitely out of the big city. It'd be near impossible for anyone to find her there.

**[ Present time. ]**

"Chief! We have a new patient report, could you come look it over?"

"Sure thing!" The raven tossed his pen on the table littered with documents to be later organized and put away. He quickly stood up from the rolling chair and rushed out of the office before scampering back in for his crisp, clean white coat.

"Doctor Yeong, it was like magic. Your patient from last week had such a low chance of survival. But they've made a full recovery!" One of the nurses pulled him aside to her desk. Jin only rubbed at his cheek with a finger, nervously.

"Well don't act like he did it alone." Another one of the doctors poked her head in. She could sort of be considered Jin's assistant of one year now. A brown-skinned girl called Devi with short pink hair, her bangs were clipped at the top of her head. "I saw him ask god for help before the surgery."

"Yeah, he did show up by the way." Jin gave her jazz hands. "Right here."

"Oh! That reminds me!" The nurse piped up, swatting Jin's arm for no particular reason. He really got bullied by all the women around here. "Doctor, you used to play soccer right?"

"Huh?" He flipped through a few leaflets of paper, "oh. Yeah, a little."

"My son is so excited about the tournament thing. All the kids are talking about it!"

". . . The Football Frontier?" Jin lifted a brow.

"Kids? This guy is like- thirty." Devi scoffed.

"I'm twenty-six, and just saying, thirty isn't considered _old_." He shot back.

"You should watch it, maybe you'll get along with the younger patients more." The nurse continued pestering him.

"I'll see if I get the time." Jin flashed her a quick smile before taking his leave, he had work to do after all. In all honesty, he didn't want to think about soccer, much less watch the frontier. 


	10. 10.

"I'm Otonashi Haruna from the newspaper club! I'll be a manager of the soccer club starting today, it's good to meet you!" With a salute, the navy blue haired girl smiled brightly. Well, a new manager was greatly appreciated, and she seemed like a sweet girl, so Endou didn't have any problems with her joining.

"N-nice to meet you," The brunette captain smiled awkwardly.

"Please take good care of us," Park chirped, bowing her head in greeting. Haruna's eyes immediately brightened up and she grabbed onto both of Park's hands.

"I will do my absolute best! Park-san!" Her eyes were practically glittering. At this, Park gladly smiled back. In the midst of a few seconds the two had managed to become friends - quite like with Kino. Having another girl around would be wonderful.

Yet again the team wasn't able to borrow a field, so they'd have to make do with the riverbank. No one seemed to be bothered by this though, and Someoka was upset for other reasons. While him and Endou kicked back in the grass for a while, the rest of the team warmed up with some laps, courtesy of Endou's right hand man - Kazemaru.

"Fighting!" He said this,

"Fighting!" And the others repeated.

"Fighting!"

"Fighting!"

Immediately afterwards, Park tripped over her shoe lace and face planted into the dirt. Absolutely no one had even realized and they trampled over her as if she was an ant.

"Wait, stop!" Kazemaru came to a sudden halt as well.

"Wait, stop!" Everyone chimed in unison. The tealette just rolled his eyes before stepping over to Park and lifting her back up onto her feet. Luckily the female was fine, and Endou started the real training. The team was to help Someoka perfect his shoot, but at the same time training themselves. Endou split the group into two, and this was how the game was played.

However many times needed, Park always managed to get the ball to Someoka. It was a little difficult to watch her pass, they were immediate and connected so quickly - this way it was almost impossible to cut, or figure out who to mark.

Each time Someoka shot the ball, it was faster and stronger, but not yet perfect. So, they continued this over and over until he finally got to a shoot that resembled a dragon. Everyone was rather excited, but this celebration was cut short by the familiar flame striker showing up. Whatever had changed his mind, Endou had no idea, but Gouenji decided to join the team and that's what matters.

Despite the exciting news, the next day in class - Park had completely fallen asleep. She stayed up a bit too late making snacks for the team again, even though it wasn't really needed. The poor thing was just desperate to get along with everyone and impress them. Next time Kino had offered to come over and help - so that'd be a relief.

"Park. . . ?" Kazemaru had peered over at the female. She rested her arms on the desk, and placed her head on them. If the teacher was in a bad mood she'd be in big trouble, luckily she managed to slip by, standing her textbook up.

The teal haired male crouched down beside her desk, watching her sleeping face. Thank goodness no one else was in the room. He almost felt bad for having to wake her up, she seemed to be sleeping well, and her expression was. . . Endearing.

"Come on, wake up, we have practice." With a little smile on his features, Kazemaru stood back up and gently shook her shoulder. It took a while, but after stirring in her sleep, Park finally woke up. Her brown eyes fluttering open as her vision adjusted.

". . . D-did I fall asleep?" She furrowed her brows, straightening up and rubbing at her eyes.

"You did." Kazemaru responded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Oh gosh. . . That's embarrassing." Park mumbled under her breath, grabbing her things and neatly placing them into her bag. "Thank you for waking me up." She passed him a tight smile, slinging her bag's strap over her shoulder and rising to her feet.

"Let's get going, don't wanna be late." At that, the male lead the way to the clubhouse. Today was the game against Occult, and everyone was finding reassurance in Gouenji's presence - everyone rather than Someoka of course. Having made steamed buns, Park managed to calm the atmosphere. Nothing like getting a group of boys to be quiet by feeding them, honestly.

"Everyone, let's give it out best shot!" Endou piped up, slamming a fist into his gloved palm.

Occult was a strange group, resonating with some kind of eerie aura. Not only their dull expressions, but their entire demeanor was a little unsettling. Their coach wasn't much of a catch either, kissing up to Gouenji and all.

The game started with Occult's kickoff, and already they were pressing in for the attack. One of the forwards slipped past Kabeyama, but was immediately cut off by Park. She simply passed to Kazemaru to avoid anymore conflict, and the tealette made his way up. After passing to Someoka, the striker used his new Dragon Crash, and just like that Raimon scored a goal.

Even though Gouenji was so heavily marked, Someoka was always free. Yet again the same thing happened, and Raimon was already two points ahead in the first half.

"We're doing surprisingly well!" Matsuno chirped, earning a bright smile from Handa. Endou and Kazemaru were feeling quite well about things too.

Occult started with the ball again, but things were. . . Odd this time. Not only was the rest of the team staring at the opponents intensely, but their coach was chanting something.

_"Mare mare tomare. . . Mare mare tomare. . ."_

Park blinked her eyes, looking at the others. For some reason they were losing their nerve. it was if they were seeing something that she couldn't. Being in defense, she could see everyone all over the place and making the strangest movements.

Once the forwards were in far enough, the female scampered in front of the goal to help defend.

"Calm down and watch the opponent carefully," standing his ground, Endou warned everyone.

"It's no use." Their forward mocked, followed by what seemed to be a hissatsu; "Ghost Lock."

_"Mare mare tomare. . . Mare mare tomare. . ."_

"What the-- I can't move-?" Endou as well as Kabeyama beside Park, were glued in place. Yet the girl could still move her feet just fine.

"What's the matter?" She looked over her shoulder for just a moment before realizing the forward was still present. Park stepped in front of them and followed the ball.

"How are you able to move!?" To the forward, this was pretty abnormal. Yet Park was finding it more strange that everyone else was locked in place. If it was a hissatsu, then it should have worked on her as well - but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Kazemaru!" After slipping the ball away from the other, Park passed to the teal haired male only to realize he was immobile as well.

"Park what are you doing!?" He groaned to himself as the ball rolled out of bounds. At least she managed to clear it, though.

"Oh, crap! I'm so sorry!" The white haired girl stiffened up and bowed her head, scampering over to throw in.

"That's. . . weird though. How are you able to move and the rest of us couldn't. . . ?" Kazemaru muttered, crossing an arm and bringing a finger to his chin as Park furrowed her brows.

"I've no idea either." She responded softly.

"Did you do anything in particular to avoid it?" He turned his gaze towards her,but she shook her head. Park was just like the rest, except unaffected by Ghost Lock. "This must be the curse that Otonashi was talking about."

"Do you really believe in a soccer curse?" While her words were kind of like an insult, the concern in her eyes and expression made it hard for him to feel hurt. Maybe she was trying to ask him if it was really real, but unfortunately, Kazemaru didn't have an answer.

Once the whistle was blown, Park threw in the ball and scampered back to her position. It was brought up to Someoka again, who went for another shoot, but the keeper managed to stop this one.

_"Mare mare tomare. . . Mare mare tomare. . ."_

Now Occult was on the attack, and their forward use his Ghost Lock again. He expected it to work on Park this time, but to no avail. Unfortunately she wasn't able to stop him herself, and he made a goal.

This happened again, and now Raimon was tied with Occult. The whistle was blown for halftime, and to regroup, everyone made their way back to the club room.

"Damn it. . . What even happened out there?" Kazemaru hissed under his breath.

"I couldn't move my legs at all, there was no way out of it." Handa chimed in, but not exactly thrilled with the fact.

"Maybe it really is a curse," Kabeyama's addition didn't help much either.

"Sometime like that can't be real," Kazemaru let out a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it's a curse, then how come Park wasn't affected?" Endou tried racking his brain for a solution, but nothing came up green. "There's gotta be a secret behind it, maybe it's got something to do with that chant the coach was saying."

"Isn't something like that kind of illegal?" Matsuno raised a brow.

"Um. Don't worry about it." Endou shrugged off that thought, "if you get the ball then pass to the forwards. We need every chance to score a point we can get."

And so. . . Everyone started fighting on the pitch. Arguing about which forward to pass to, as if there wasn't two for a reason.

Park, Endou and Kazemaru at the back just watched while sighing.

"What in gods name is going on up there?" The tealette brought a hand to support his forehead.

"I think they're arguing." Park answered for him, even though that was obvious.

"Get it together, everyone!" Endou called out.

The bickering went on until Occult gained possession, and were on the attack.

_"Mare mare tomare. . . Mare mare tomare. . ."_

Yuukoku's Ghost Lock rendered everyone immobile again.

"Endou you have to do something-!" Park clearly couldn't handle an entire team on her own.

". . . Tomare?" Endou muttered under his breath, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

Occult's forward went for another shoot, which was sent off course after Park attempted to slow it down with her foot.

Endou had called out something that kind of sounded like a battle cry to Park - but it removed the effect of Ghost Lock. With Nekketsu Punch, he blocked the shoot. The brunette's little remedy had everyone back to normal.

"Endou, how did you do that!" Kazemaru made his way over, as well as Kabeyama. They all seemed in good shape, thank goodness.

"I figured out that Ghost Lock thing." Endou lifted a finger, "their coach was chanting something with _'tomare'_ in it! So it's like. . . Magic! Sorta!" He piped up.

"Hypnosis, something of the sort." Kazemaru couldn't be bothered to think too much into it. "That still doesn't explain why Park could move, though." He pointed a thumb over to the female.

". . . What does 'tomare' mean?" She blinked.

"Huh? You don't know? It means 'stop'!" Endou propped a hand on his hip.

"Ohh, I see. . ." Park nodded her head with a small smile. "I don't know Japanese very well. My apologies."

Ah, that explains it.


	11. 11.

Last class of the day, English. Kazemaru wasn't exactly bad at school, in fact his marks were rather exceptional. Although of course he excelled more in some subjects than others. One thing he could grasp a bit easier would be maths, it wasn't fun, but he was good at it. The obvious one would be physical education, running around playing soccer almost all day would probably help - but he'd also been an important member of the athletics club not long ago at all.

For the most part, he was staring out the window, honestly. That was until the teacher raised his voice in attempt to get everyone's attention. Assignments usually consisted of writing responses to books, poems, movies and so on, but this time it just had to be partner work.

The chosen tactic was to just wait for someone to come to him, of course he could easily reside with Gouenji but who the hell wants to genuinely hang out with Gouenji. 

Kidding.

If anything, Kazemaru ended up getting ramen with that exact boy and Endou almost every day after school. Hibiki was kind enough to give them discounts on food, sometimes Kazemaru wondered how than man managed a proper life. Maybe during the day he got tons of customers, tons of friends supporting him.

Before he knew it, someone had already approached him. With one side of his face being completely blocked, the little visitor had to find a way to get his attention. She tilted to the side, but he didn't budge. So, she waved a hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" The male perked up, snapping back to reality. He turned his head to the person in front of him. It was just Park.

"Y-you're not against partnering up to me, are you?" Furrowing her brows, she clapped her hands together as if she was praying. She looked sad, did he just make her sad? Oh my god, Kazemaru you messed up. Normally he was never this flustered and spaced out, Kazemaru was a cool level-headed guy.

"N-no! No, it's okay, I don't mind at all." Kazemaru quickly raised his hands in protest. "I'd actually be happy to be your partner-! I mean,," Kazemaru Ichirouta, shut the hell up, how embarrassing.

"Really? Oh, I'm so glad." Mio let out a small breath of relief. She shuffled through her bag and pulled out her notebook. It was baby pink with a lace elastic band to keep it closed, it suited her. The assignment was simple but not at the same time. 

Poetry. The whole partnering thing was just for editing, it was kind of disappointing, but Kazemaru didn't think he could handle anything else other than that. Maybe now was his chance to confess his undying love in the form of a poem. . . Yeah right. After a bit of chatting and brainstorming, class ended it and now it was soccer practice time.

A new hissatsu to defeat Nosei's soccer team - that's what everyone was caught up trying to figure out. Now, being kids without a coach for pretty much since the start of Endou's soccer club, they had absolutely no idea how to come up with a hissatsu. Gouenji and Endou were about the only two that really had anything to work with, but it wouldn't be enough. After all, Nosei's specialty was aerial attacks. There was also a new member; Domon Asuka, but he wasn't all that important right now.

"This is bad. If we don't come up with a new shot soon, we're gonna get creamed next game." Kazemaru breathed out. Practice and classes were over, so everyone was heading on home, Gouenji, Kazemaru, Park and Endou. Although, the bubbly brunette wanted to grab some ramen, and dragged everyone along with him.

"Don't give up, Kazemaru!" Endou piped up, he totally missed the point.

"I'm not giving up, Endou. I'm just concerned!" The tealette furrowed his brows, looking over at Gouenji for some help.

"Even if we do come up with a new shot, then we have no time to practice and perfect it." Gouenji, always a man of few words, but they were important words. Endou sunk in his place, looking over at the only female of the group - who wasn't really paying much attention.

". . . Why are you looking at me?" Park frowned.

"Park, tell Endou we need another plan." Kazmaru sighed.

"Endou! We need to hurry up before my grandmother starts worrying!" She piped up, completely ignoring the teallete.

"Oh, right right! To the ramen shop!" Endou grinned.

Over noodles in the dead empty corner ramen store (asides from the cook and some creepy old man), they tried to figure out what they were going to do. Kazemaru was more worried than everyone, Endou believed that everything would be fine, Gouenji didn't say much and Park was trying to pick a side. This lasted until Endou was almost hit in the face with a soup ladle by the chef. Apparently there was another secret notebook, hidden in Raimon itself.

Hidden in the freaking principal's lounge. Even still, the entire team asides from Domon stood outside the door while Endou peered inside.

"Alright, lets go. Nice and easy. . ." On the count of three, everyone in unison shoved their way inside and toppled over.

"Ow! You're squishing me!"

"Who's pulling my hair!?"

"Park, are you alright!?"

"Shhhhh!!!" Shut up indeed.

Once everyone was up and in one piece, Endou waltzed over to the safe and scrolled the lock. Listening to the tumbling inside the safe, he grinned after hearing a click. He pulled the handle. Nothing. Tugged it, still nothing. Used all of his body weight, absolutely nothing - except for _falling_.

"What happened to_ leave it to me_!?" Kazemaru hissed.

"Oh jeez, Endou if we get caught this is gonna be so bad. Hurry, get up!" Park quickly pulled the captain to his feet.

"Sorry, but, you've already been caught." None other than Natsumi herself, in the flesh and bone. She stood at the door frame like a princess. She kindly handed over the notebook, only for everyone to find out that it was straight up chicken scratch.

Back at the soccer club room, everyone sat on the floor waiting to hear the goods. Absolute nonsense, and scribbles that looked as if a dog drew it. Endou had even suggested asking Park's Pomeranian to read it for them. She just laughed nervously.

"Is this some kind of secret code?" , "Or another language?"

"No. Most of the marks are just dirt." Kazemaru hated to break it to everyone.

"So she was right, it's meaningless. . ." Someoka huffed.

"I guess that explains why Natsumi didn't mind handing it over so easily." Park muttered under her breath.

"ENDOU!!"

Turns out, Endou could read every word - or, scribble should I say. That being said, the rest of the team sat on the floor waiting for Endou to give up the goods. Endou, Kazemar and Park sat up on the table. While there was still nothing he could understand, Kazemaru still wanted to look at the notebook. Park did too, so, this ended up with her leaning over him to see. Which was nice, really, but ridiculously distracting. . . That wasn't gonna stop him from taking advantage of the situation though.

"P-Park, can you see?" The tealette muttered.

"A little--" She responded, squinting her eyes.

"Here, come a little closer." He shifted himself slightly, just barely pulling her near. Now their faces were at least two inches apart, he could have sworn she was able to feel the heat radiating from his cheeks. Well, the notebook may be a bunch of bullshit, but at least he hit the jackpot.

The rest of the day was spent training until the sun went down and everyone had to head on home. Park and Kazemaru ended up walking home together, but neither of them had said a word asides from goodbye when Park scampered up her front porch's steps.

The next class was well waited for. No, no, he didn't actually end up writing a love poem, that'd be ridiculous. In fact it was something just more like himself, a simple, innocent blurb, with a surprising impact at the end. When Mio started reading it, instead of reading hers, he'd just watched her expectantly. Looking for any change of expression to express if she hated it, or liked it, or even loved it. After his endless staring, she finally brightened up with a smile.

"I loved it, I had no idea you were such a good writer. . ." Mio chirped, almost hugging his notebook to her chest. He flushed immediately, turning his face away.

"I'm not a writer, don't be silly. I just came up with it off the top of my head."

"Hmm. Is that so. Then maybe you're a natural?" She jested, handing him his notebook back. . . She'd just hugged this thing, would it be okay for him to touch it? Wait, of course it would, it was his own book. "Did you read mine?" She asked.

"Uh, gimmie a moment." Embarrassed, he looked down at her work to quickly read it. Hopefully she didn't notice him staring at her the whole time. It felt kind of nice to be holding her notebook, something she took home, and rested her hand on while writing. Her handwriting was super tiny, and she didn't even write on the lines of the page, she wrote in between them. Weird, but endearing at the same time. It was pleasant to look at.

_Big Fish;_  
The silent sea's wave, overwhelming the gathering, darkness deep  
The cloud extends over every corner of the endless sky.  
The big fish crosses the crevice of this dream.  
It's fixed gaze on your beautiful sleeping profile.

_The sea and sky change to the same color._  
Take your hand, to brush away the immense cold and mist.  
The fish's wing, vast enough.  
I have to loosen the rope this time.

_I fear you'd fly away_  
But fear even more that you'd stay here forever.  
Every drop of tears, flow from me to you.  
They flow back to the seabed of the sky.

He blinked a few times. At first he really did think it was about a fish, but after reading the last line, maybe that wasn't the case. Did she by any chance. . . Like. . . Someone? Did she like him? Did she write this for him? Did she just call him beautiful? Oh my god-.

". . . I'm sorry, my handwriting is really messy." For some reason she apologized for something completely redundant. Maybe she was nervous, after all, he didn't really say anything for a while.

"No, that's not it. Your handwriting is nice." He sputtered out, not bothering to kick his own ass mentally afterwards. "I like it, you did really well. I kind of assumed you'd be good at these kinds things." Kazemaru managed a small smile for her. Well, she was a girl and all, girls were good at writing, drawing, singing - pretty much all the things boys seemed to have trouble with, apparently. Park was a quiet one, maybe she felt better expressing herself on paper, rather than with words in person

"Do you think so? I'm glad." She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "I'm shy, so sharing makes me nervous."

"Yeah, me too." He furrowed his brows, handing her back her notebook. "I'm impressed though."

"Well." Taking the book in her hands, she carefully folded the paper near the spine, and ripped it out carefully. "Here, I want you to have it then. I wrote it for you."

Oh god. He immediately blushed, nervously taking the leaf of paper in his shaky hands. A confession? He wasn't ready for this. Was it a confession at all? Did she write a love poem about him, and give it to him as an attempt to get him to like her? Was this the plan all along? Well, he did like her, a lot actually. Maybe that's why he was so nervous and frantic. How romantic, she was so romantic, this was perfect in every way-

"It's kind of about. . . Us becoming friends." Park muttered softly. Okay, she just shot down every thought that ran through his head, but he wasn't upset or anything. How could he be upset after she wrote something for him, even if it wasn't a form of a confession.

Though. . . He couldn't manage understand the poem. Maybe he was just inept. Even still, this was such a special gift. He was missing the true meaning, but maybe he'll find it one day.

"I'm glad we're friends." Kazemaru chirped.

At that, when the day was over and he waved his friends goodbye - Kazemaru made his way home as quickly as possible. He greeted his parents before scurrying up to his room. Shuffling through his bag, he pulled out a familiar leaflet of paper and smiled at it. Cutting off a few pieces of tape, he put it up on his wall above his desk.

There, now he'd never forget about this.


	12. 12.

Right after lunch time was when everyone from the ramen shop would head out, and yet again it would be painfully empty. The owner still went away at cleaning things and preparing for rush hour again, but soon he would pack up and head home for the day. Hibiki's schedule wasn't very special or anything, just the same old routine, the same old cycles over and over. . .

The flags hanging down from the entrance were pulled back, as the new customer ducked their head and stepped inside the small corner store; Rairaiken's.

"Welcome." Hibiki mused, his back turned to the young man.

With a small sigh, the male took a seat at the front counter on one of the stools. Propping his elbows up on the counter, he brushed some white hair from his eyes before resting his chin in his palm.

"What can I get y-. . ." Hibiki had finally looked over his shoulder, his eyes blinking twice as he saw the man. "It's been a while, Hayate." He acknowledged him. 

"Mmhm." The male hummed. "Soybean paste miso." Without much of a greeting, he tapped a finger on the wooden counter. His carmine red eyes unintentionally piercing through Hibiki. The older man just nodded before getting to work at his order. Meanwhile, Hayate took off his glasses and set them aside, rubbing at his tired eyes with his palms.

"Here for business?" Hibiki asked, regrettably curious as of to why the white haired male was here.

". . . Not really." Hayate replied in a rather raspy voice. "She come by lately?"

"Yesterday." The response was hesitant. This made Hayate lift his eyes to the ramen cook. These eyes of his, their glare cut sharper than a knife. Even when he wasn't looking at you, it felt as if you were being stared down. He'd catch every single one of your movements without you knowing.

". . . With some friends." The atmosphere had suddenly changed, and the pressure on Hibiki's shoulders was getting heavier with each passing second. He felt as if he had to spill everything, despite not even being asked. Hibiki sighed, "the young girl was brought here to get away from you, isn't that right?"

"Things are different now." Hayate scoffed, a humorless laugh slipping past his thin lips. By this, he meant it as impossible for anyone to _get away_ from him now.

"For your own good," Hibiki paused to set down the bowl of ramen in front of the young man. "Stop keeping track of her like this."

"I wouldn't be giving someone like me advice, if I were you." Hayate shot back, nonchalantly picking up his chopsticks. To be fair, giving advice was Hayate's job, taking it from others? Not so much. A supposedly _natural born genius_ was bound to become a little egotistical. Hibiki didn't see much of a point in arguing, or trying to get his meaning across to the other. When Hayate made a decision, he would see it out to the very end even if it costed him his life. 

Currently, one of his decisions was to look after his younger sister without her knowing a single thing about him.

Such a simple task, yet such a heavy burden.

"Keep the change." A few minutes later, after finishing his meal, Hayate place a few notes down beside the near empty bowl. Without another word, he left the store, not to be seen again for a week or two.

_"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"_

_Slam!_

"And the first to ever beat Endou's record is Park-chan!" Brimming with excitement, Matsuno stuck his arms out, giving jazz hands towards the white haired girl beside him. At that, everyone on Park's side was cheering triumphantly.

After defeating Nosei, the team was celebrating at lunch time. Kino and Park had brought a whole set of snacks for everyone, and just for the sake of it, Endou and Park had fought one another in a _soda chugging_ match. Unfortunately Kino wasn't present to witness them being absolute children. Surprisingly, Park won by a landslide.

"The tire throne has been passed down by generations, now it belongs to Park-chan." Handa crossed his arms, almost glaring at Endou.

"I was hustled! You all saw it happen!" The captain piped up.

"Do you even know what that means?" Kazemaru raised an eyebrow, and with his mouth wide open, Endou froze in his place. "That's what I thought." The tealette nodded to himself.

"Maybe next time, Captain." Park chirped, crossing one leg over the other, a kittenish smile on her face. The tire throne consisted of three tired stacked one over the other, and that was pretty much it. She actually needed help getting onto it, and Kazemaru was more than happy to oblige.

"How is it?" Haruna clapped her hands together, almost like a loyal assistant or something of the sort.

"It's pretty nice up he-- whaaaa!" Before Park could finish, while she was shifting to get comfortable, the girl fell right down the middle.

"Park-san!" Haruna almost dropped her laptop.

"You've got to be kidding me. . ." Kazemaru brought a hand up to her forehead. Just then had the club room doors opened, revealing Kino and Raimon Natsumi.

"Huh?" Endou lifted his brows, looking over at the two girls. Kino had given him an apologetic smile, while Natsumi crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"As of today, I - Raimon Natsumi will be the manager for the soccer club." She stated proudly, a smile of victory on her sharp features.

". . . What!?" The entire club gaped in unison, even Park who had just poked her head out of the depths of the tires.


End file.
